Also found in: Thesaurus, Engraved valentines gifts him, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. To carve, cut, or etch into a material: engraved the champion’s name on the trophy. To carve, cut, or etch a design or letters into: engraved the silver watch with my monogram.

To carve, cut, or etch into a block or surface used for printing. To print from a block or plate made by such a process. To impress deeply as if by carving or etching: The experience was engraved into his memory. Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Her memory is engraved upon my heart. Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005.

Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster’s page for free fun content. Please log in or register to use Flashcards and Bookmarks. That is not his fault though. Tin Woodman, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow: the lines of the engraving being traced upon the silver in yellow gold. This inscription would enable anyone who was wise enough to interpret it to find out how the Dragon could be destroyed. Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only.

This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. For the art of music notation, see Music engraving. Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. Wood engraving is a form of relief printing and is not covered in this article, same with rock engravings like petroglyphs. Engraving was a historically important method of producing images on paper in artistic printmaking, in mapmaking, and also for commercial reproductions and illustrations for books and magazines. Many old master prints also combine techniques on the same plate, further confusing matters.

Other terms often used for printed engravings are copper engraving, copper-plate engraving or line engraving. This section does not cite any sources. Each graver is different and has its own use. Engravers use a hardened steel tool called a burin, or graver, to cut the design into the surface, most traditionally a copper plate. However, modern hand engraving artists use burins or gravers to cut a variety of metals such as silver, nickel, steel, brass, gold, titanium, and more, in applications from weaponry to jewellery to motorcycles to found objects.

In addition to hand engraving, there are engraving machines that require less human finesse and are not directly controlled by hand. They are usually used for lettering, using a pantographic system. There are versions for the insides of rings and also the outsides of larger pieces. Such machines are commonly used for inscriptions on rings, lockets and presentation pieces.

Gravers come in a variety of shapes and sizes that yield different line types. The burin produces a unique and recognizable quality of line that is characterized by its steady, deliberate appearance and clean edges. The angle tint tool has a slightly curved tip that is commonly used in printmaking. Florentine liners are flat-bottomed tools with multiple lines incised into them, used to do fill work on larger areas or to create uniform shade lines that are fast to execute. Musical instrument engraving on American-made brass instruments flourished in the 1920s and utilizes a specialized engraving technique where a flat graver is “walked” across the surface of the instrument to make zig-zag lines and patterns.

The method for “walking” the graver may also be referred to as “wriggle” or “wiggle” cuts. This technique is necessary due to the thinness of metal used to make musical instruments versus firearms or jewelry. Tool geometry is extremely important for accuracy in hand engraving. These two surfaces meet to form a point that cuts the metal. The geometry and length of the heel helps to guide the graver smoothly as it cuts the surface of the metal. Sharpening a graver or burin requires either a sharpening stone or wheel.

Several low-speed, reversible sharpening systems made specifically for hand engravers are available that reduce sharpening time. Design or artwork is generally prepared in advance, although some professional and highly experienced hand engravers are able to draw out minimal outlines either on paper or directly on the metal surface just prior to engraving. At an engravers workshop: Miniature engraving on a Louis George watch movement: Smallest engraving of the royal Prussian eagle on a watch movement. It takes about 100 passes to create the figure.

Originally, handpieces varied little in design as the common use was to push with the handle placed firmly in the center of the palm. With modern pneumatic engraving systems, handpieces are designed and created in a variety of shapes and power ranges. Handpieces are made using various methods and materials. Knobs may be handmade from wood, molded and engineered from plastic, or machine-made from brass, steel, or other metals. Master engraver ennobling a watch movement. Top level engravers work under a stereo microscope.